Monday, July 12, 2010.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The University of Florida has created an oil
spill task force with 29 faculty members to coordinate research and response
efforts related to the April 20 spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Tom Frazer, chairman of the task force, said many faculty are
already doing research and outreach activities, and UF saw a need to coordinate
efforts. “A coordination of activities within UF also is essential to our being
able to efficiently partner with other Florida and regional universities and
agencies that are addressing oil spill-related issues,” he said.
Some UF faculty are already on the Oil Spill Academic Task Force,
which is composed of scientists and scholars from the State University System
and four of Florida’s private universities. The statewide task force was created
to quickly provide the Florida Department of Environmental Protection with a
list of key faculty across Florida with relevant expertise, Frazer said.
“With the recognition that the oil spill is likely to have long
lasting impacts on the ecological, social and economic fabric of the state, the
UF Task Force will bring a tremendous amount of talent and expertise to bear on
a broad suite of issues such as ecological restoration and remediation, economic
recovery and human health concerns,” Frazer said.
Frazer and co-chairman Karl Havens were appointed by Jack Payne,
senior vice president for agriculture and natural resources, at the request of
UF President Bernie Machen. Frazer and Havens identified a core group of
self-nominated faculty already engaged in related activities, and that core
group subsequently identified other members of the task force while trying to
provide a balanced representation of disciplinary interest and expertise.
The task force expects to meet for the first time this week when
it will discuss its charge and decide a schedule of activities.
The members are:
- Tom Frazer, task force chairman, Institute of Food and Agricultural
Sciences
- Karl Havens, task force co-chairman, Institute of Food and Agricultural
Science and UF Sea Grant
- Karen Bjorndal, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
- Bob Dean, College of Engineering
- Joe Delfino, College of Engineering
- Nancy Denslow, College of Veterinary Medicine
- David Denslow, Warrington College of Business Administration
- Kevin Fennelly, College of Medicine
- Ruth Francis-Floyd, College of Veterinary Medicine
- Peter Frederick, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
- Greg Gray, College of Public Health and Health Professions
- Stephen Holland, College of Health and Human Performance
- John Jaeger, College of Liberal Arts and Science
- Sobha Jaishankar, assistant vice president for research
- Margaret James, College of Pharmacy
- Andy Kane, College of Public Health and Health Professions
- Jon Martin, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
- Brian Mayer, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
- Jon Mills, College of Law
- Glenn Morris, College of Medicine
- Andrew Ogram, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
- Craig Osenberg, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
- Steve Otwell, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
- Steve Roberts, College of Veterinary Medicine
- Peter Sheng, College of Engineering
- Alex Sheremet, College of Engineering
- Mike Spranger, Institute of Food and Agricultural Science and UF Sea
Grant
- Arnoldo Valle-Levison, College of Engineering
- Andrew Zimmerman, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Credits
- Writer
- Ron Wayne, [log in to unmask], 352-392-0186
- Source
- Tom Frazer, [log in to unmask], 352-273-3644
- Source
- Karl Havens, [log in to unmask], 352-392-5870
-
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